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Edelweiss
The Edelweiss is a medium tank and the main tank of Squad 7. Originally fielded by General Belgen Gunther and piloted by Theimer, it was launched once more at the start of EWII by Welkin Gunther and Isara Gunther, the children of General Gunther and Theimer, respectively. Information Designed and constructed by Isara's late father, Theimer, this tank's 360-degree rotating turret, fully automated loading system and other innovations completely revolutionized tank technology. Built to be operated by two, Welkin mans the guns and issues commands to Isara who is in control of both the wheel and wireless radio. Despite its age, it was among the first to use angled plating and other emergent concepts, yielding high performance from an early test stage. Its high cost was all that precluded its mass production. Crew After being assigned to Squad 7, it was driven and maintained by Isara as a mobile command platform for Welkin. Five months into the war, care of the tank was given to Kreis Czherny, who drove it for the remainder. In the anime, it was Zaka who drove and became the mechanic of the Edelweiss instead of Kreis. Technical Description The Edelweiss is a single turreted design, possessing an 8.8cm gun of 40 calibers length for its main armament that is capable of defeating virtually any Imperial tank at standard combat ranges as well as effectively engaging infantry and fortifications, and a co-axially mounted 12.7mm (0.50 inch) heavy machine gun for use against unarmored and lightly armored targets. It is equipped with an automatic loading system for the main gun. There are two hatches on the turret, one on top as part of the cupola for the commander and another at the rear of the turret for loading ammunition, disposal of used shell cartridges and as an escape route. Frontal armor protection is expected to be great for its thickness with the rounded glacis and the vehicle likely enjoys decent all around protection. There is room enough for a dedicated driver and dedicated wireless operator. It has been modified to waterproof the entire unit for submerged fording. The engine is not the original with which the tank was outfitted and it is currently equipped with an 800 horsepower (597kW) Ragnoline turbine engine which may have been designed for small naval patrol boats and fast attack craft. A pair of drive sprockets at the front of the tank propel each tread and there are six road wheels on each side. Its suspension is unknown, but is most likely torsion bar given the layout. A similar suspension layout is used by comparable postwar Gallian tanks that equip the Loyalist and GRA forces. While it may enjoy unparalleled speed the unit may suffer mobility issues with its weight versus the width of its treads on softer ground. While being designed for operation by two, it appears as though the Edelweiss is capable of more efficient operation by three, as indicated by the hatch to the right of the driver’s hatch and quite likely a fourth to act as gunner (based on Chapter 7 4-C) and free the commander up to direct the crew. Given the advanced technology and concepts of the tank it is possible Theimer and other engineers designed the vehicle expecting that it would be simplified for mass production, but show what Gallia was capable of building at a later date when improved and cost effective technology became readily available. Such simplifications and expectations could include a bow mounted machine gun and using a standard 7.92mm machine gun in the coaxial mount, deletion of the automatic loading system and replacement by a fifth crew member, simplified armor layout, and equipping the chassis with different and lighter standard main armaments while retaining the same turret ring for heavier armament if necessary. Stats Base stats *Body HP - 1800 *Tread HP - 550 *Accuracy - 6 *Body Def - 450 *Tread Def - 100 *AP - 350 *Upgrade grid - 4 x 3 Weapons *Anti-armor - 82mm Anti-Armor **Aim - E **Range - 600 **vsPers - 120 **vsArmor - 900 **Shots - 1 *Mortar - 82mm Mortar **Aim - C **Range - 250 **vsPers - 250 **vsArmor - 300 **Shots - 1 *Machine gun - Theimer MAG T1 **Aim - D **Range - 200 **vsPers - 35 **vsArmor - 46 **Shots - 7 Max stats *Body HP - 2700 (3000 if final upgrade is Reinforced Armor) *Tread HP - 1050 (1250 if final upgrade is Reinforced Armor) *Accuracy - 6 *Body Def - 595 (625 if final upgrade is Gun Barrel Armor) *Tread Def - 200 (250 if final upgrade is Reinforced Armor) *AP - 450 *Upgrade grid - 5 x 4 Weapons *Anti-armor - Ragnite Rounds **Aim - E **Range - 1000 (1100 if final upgrade is Extended Barrel) **vsPers - 300 **vsArmor - 1600 **Shots - 1 *Mortar - Improved Shrapnel **Aim - C **Range - 450 (500 if final upgrade is Extended Barrel) **vsPers - 500 **vsArmor - 400 **Shots - 1 *Machine gun - Theimer MAG T3 **Aim - D **Range - 200 **vsPers - 60 **vsArmor - 62 **Shots - 7 Upgrades Upgrades for the Edelweiss can be purchased from R&D in the Headquarters tab to further improve its capabilities. In some cases, they will also alter its appearance. For further details on the upgrade system and the specific benefits of each upgrade, see Tank Upgrade (VC1). Gun *'Barrel Protector': Improves main gun and mortar range. An armor plate is added over the top of the gun's base, replacing the leather covering. *'Anti-Armor Rounds': Improves main gun damage. Renames 82mm Anti-Armor weapon to Anti-Armor Rounds. *'Increased Payload': Improves mortar damage and blast radius. Renames 82mm Mortar weapon to Increased Payload. *'Enhanced Gun': Improves machine gun damage. Renames Theimer MAG T1 weapon to Theimer MAG T2. *'Reinforced Barrel': Improves main gun and mortar range. Additional armor plates are added over the rest of the gun barrel, completely covering it. *'Heavy Tank Gun': Improves machine gun damage. Renames Theimer MAG T2 weapon to Theimer MAG T3. *'Piercing Rounds': Improves main gun damage. Renames Anti-Armor Rounds weapon to Piercing Rounds. *'Improved Shrapnel': Improves mortar damage and blast radius. Renames Increased Payload weapon to Improved Shrapnel. *'Ragnite Rounds': Improves main gun damage. Renames Piercing Rounds weapon to Ragnite Rounds. *'Extended Barrel (Final Upgrade)': Improves main gun and mortar range. The main gun is replaced by a larger one and the turret changes to accommodate, becoming longer and wider. Body *'Additional Armor': Improves Body HP, Tread HP and Tread Defense. A side skirt is added, and armor plating is added over the wheels. *'Rivet Construction': Improves Body HP. *'Reinforced Body': Improves Body HP, Tread HP, Tread Defense, AP and part grid size. The body layout is wholly altered and features even more sloped armor on all facings. Removes the previously added side skirts and wheel armor. Renames the Edelweiss to Edelweiss II. *'Point Soldering': Improves Body HP. *'Plane Soldering': Improves Body HP. *'Reinforced Armor (Final Upgrade)': Improves Body HP, Tread HP and Tread Defense. The Edelweiss gains a new set of side skirts that causes hits to the middle of the treads from the sides to count as hitting the body. Armor *'Frontal Armor': Improves Body Defense. A pair of small armor plates are added to the front of the turret's base. *'Rolled Steel': Improves Body Defense. Renames Armor-Grade Steel armor to Rolled Steel. *'Turret Armor': Improves Body Defense. A turret skirt is added. *'Carbon-Coat Steel': Improves Body Defense. Renames Rolled Steel armor to Carbon-Coat Steel. *'Ragnite Alloy': Improves Body Defense. Renames Carbon-Coat Steel armor to Ragnite Alloy. *'Hardened Ragnite': Improves Body Defense. *'Gun Barrel Armor (Final Upgrade)': Improves Body Defense. Removes some prior modifications, such as the extra armor on the gun barrel. Trivia *The Edelweiss is essentially a smaller version of the WWII German E-50 Panzer project with similar specifications. Both the Edelweiss and the E-50 are armed with a 88mm cannon, equipped with a 800hp engine and have a maximum speed of 60 km/h *The base Edelweiss has the running gear of a Panzer III, and seems to have a turret inspired by the American M41 Walker Bulldog with the spare track holders and escape hatch of an M4 Sherman; the gun mounting is an exaggerated version of the T-55's, with a similar searchlight mounting to the right. The hull has the spare track holder of a Panzer IV, and a driver's vision block seemingly inspired by the Tiger I. The headlamps are based on the Bosch headlights of the Tigers; it has two on the front-upper hull like an early production Tiger, but also one in the middle of the glacis plate like a Tiger II. *The hull of the Edelweiss II has a very similar layout to that of the Tiger II, though the front glacis plate is curved instead of flat. *The Edelweiss' interior is based on that of a Tiger II, which is why it's shown with a steering wheel in the anime series. While tanks are usually steered with twin accelerator pedals or levers, the Tiger II, like several other tanks with their drive sprockets at the front, had a wheel for fine turns. **More exactly, the interior, seen behind Isara and Kreis when they speak, appears to be directly based on Trumpeter's 1:16 scale Tiger II kit; this includes the kit's infamous straight ammunition racks. *In Chapter 7, Episode 4-C, Welkin gives the order to fire while standing out of the cupola. This implies that either Isara is manning the gun (as the tank is stationary) or there is an unknown third crew member. It would certainly be unusual for a tank of the era to have a crew of just two; typical examples had crews of four or five (driver, gunner, loader, radio operator and commander) and the Edelweiss has a third hatch at the radio operator's position. *The Edelweiss' name is German, and more correct rendered as "Edelweiß;" it means noble white. The name comes from a white flower which can be found in the Alps; it's the subject of a famous song in The Sound of Music. Adolf Hitler was known to say it was his favourite flower, and it was the symbol of the Gebirgsjäger (mountain infantry), as well has having being the symbol of Alpine infantry in general since 1907. More fittingly for Gallia, it's also regarded as the unofficial national flower of Switzerland. Incidentally, the flower belongs to the genus Leontopodium which means "Lion's Foot" or "Lion's Paw", the name it goes by in Gallia, however, the Gallian Lion's Paw seems to grow at much lower altitudes than the real Edelweiss; Alicia finds the "Lion's Paw" growing on the ground, while Edelweiss typically only grows above the treeline of mountains, on rocks at altitudes of 6,500-9,500 feet. *The Edelweiss will always appear in its stock form during cutscenes (aside from the in-engine cutscenes at the beginning of each battle where Welkin orders the squad to move out) regardless of upgrades. *The Edelweiss appears as a Room Decoration in Phantasy Star Portable 2. *The Edelweiss can be used in at least one mission in VCIII and it has health stats similar to heavy tank bodies of the time. *The Edelweiss's hull and turret can be obtained in VCIII, the hull is the strongest in the game, and the turret is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, anti-tank cannons in the game. *The Edelweiss, along with the Nameless Tank, made their crossover appearance in the online game World of Tanks Blitz. It was first available for purchase for a limited time from September 15th-30th, 2016; and it's currently available for purchase along with the Nameless Tank, the Lupus, the Vulcan, and the Hafen. Also, Edelweiss is now playable as Japanese Tier VIII Medium Premium Tank in World of Tanks PC (for ASIA Server only) and World of Tanks Console (Worldwide) for a limited time only. Category:Squad 7 Category:Vehicles Category:Tanks Category:Gallian Tanks